Use of compressed air stored in storage chambers for driving a turbine coupled to an electrical generator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,994,785. The use of human pedal power from stationary bicycles for driving the electrical generators directly is likewise well known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,240,947 and 3,377,505. Compressed air stored in tanks for subsequent use in driving an electrical generator is shown in Vuell U.S. Pat. No. 344,344. However, according to the present invention, the energy storage system based on using compressed air as a storage medium uses an exercise machine which, in the preferred embodiment, exercises all major portions of the human body, the legs, arms and torso, to drive an air compressor that generates the compressed air. A plurality of high pressure air storage cylinders or tanks are sequentially coupled to the compressor and filled to predetermined air pressure then the air that is stored is used to power or drive an air motor for generating electric energy for use or to supply a source of rotary power.
A study has shown that the efficiency of the exercise machine/compressor will be approximately 60% and it is estimated that the average exerciser will produce 0.2 horsepower which equals 66 hundred ft.-lb./min. Thus, to compress 70 cubic feet of air to 2250 lbs. per square inch will require about 191 minutes so if an average person exercises on the machine for an average of 30 minutes per day, approximately 6 days would be required to fill the cylinder. Obviously, this would vary as a function of the determination of the exerciser and the number of them in the family. If the tank size was changed to 240 cubic feet and at 3000 lbs. per square inch, the work and time would be 4,582,005 ft./lbs. and the time would require 22 days at the same rate of exercise to fill the tank.
The air stored in the tank can be used to drive an air motor and to drive an electrical generator for example.
In a preferred embodiment, the compressor is designed to match the human driving force, and has low velocity seals, and the exercise machine uses both arms and legs of the exerciser for energy input and maximum health benefit.